1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to monuments, and more particularly, to a cable structure, I-beam structure, and stainless-steel exterior monument.
2. Description of Prior Art
There are five different monument-attractions that have definite similarities to this Cross, to wit: the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Statue of Liberty, the St. Louis or Gateway Arch, the Washington Monument, and the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas.
The Eiffel Tower was built from January 1887 to May 1889. It is approximately 1000 feet tall and stands on four giant legs. On Sep. 18, 1884 Eiffel registered a patent “for a new configuration allowing the construction of metal supports and pylons capable of exceeding a height of 300 meters”. It was built of iron, using “x” braces to support the structure from the bottom to the top. There were 18,000 elements which made up the Tower, and two-and-a-half million rivets assembling the elements. It has elevator access to the top with an observation tower.
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal copper sculpture, 151 feet tall, designed by Frederic Bartholdi. On Feb. 18, 1879 Bartholdi was issued U.S. Pat. No. 11,023 for a “Design for a Statue”. The massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework, which allows the Statue's copper skin to move independently yet stand upright, was designed by Gustave Eiffel (the same Eiffel of the Eiffel Tower). There are stairs to an observation deck.
The St. Louis Arch is built of stainless-steel, spans 630 feet and soars 630 feet into the sky. It takes the shape of an inverted catenary curve. Each leg is an equilateral triangle with sides 54 feet long at ground level, tapering to 17 feet at the top. The legs have double walls of steel 3 feet apart at ground level and 7-¾ inches apart above the 400-foot level. Up to the 300-foot mark the space between the walls is filled with reinforced concrete. Beyond that point steel stiffeners are used. The double-walled, triangular sections were placed one on top of another and then welded inside and out to build the legs of the Arch. There is an observation tower at the top.
The Washington Monument is one of our oldest monuments, built from 1848 to 1884. It is 555 feet tall, and is almost like a giant finger in the sky. The walls are 15 feet thick at the base and 18 inches thick at the top. It is built of marble and has a sway of 0.125″ in a 30 MPH wind. It has an elevator with access to an observation tower at the top.
The Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas is 1150 feet tall and completed in 1996. The “tower” portion is built out of concrete. It has a restaurant—with other shops—at the top, elevator access, with other amusements—a chairlift and roller coaster—also at the top.
This Cross has similarities to each of these monument-attractions. The Eiffel Tower has a tremendous “x” brace configuration. It is at the same height as this Cross. “X” bracing is used profusely in this Cross, to wit: within the I-beam “cubes”, within the arms of the Cross, and even to support the exterior stainless-steel panels. The Statue of Liberty has a copper “skin” with a massive iron pylon for support. In the Cross' case, the I-beam cubes support the exterior stainless-steel “skin”. The St. Louis Arch is built of stainless-steel in the shape of inverted catenary curve. The similarity to the Cross lies in the “challenge of the curve” vs. the “challenge of the arms” as far as the engineers are concerned. The Washington Monument is like a finger in the sky. Yet it has only a sway of 0.125″ in a 30 MPH wind at the top. This is an example of a stiff and stable object for the Cross to follow. The Stratosphere Tower is similar to the Cross in that it was built recently, is of like height, has a large area at the top for visitors and is unusual in its design.